Deadline nears for students to apply for summer field schools in southeast Colorado

Wednesday

May 1, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Students aged 13 to 18 and their parents are alerted to an exceptional summer opportunity, the Colorado Preserve America Youth Summit, which will get students into the field for hands-on experiences with history, archaeology and historic preservation.

Staff, Canyons & Plains

Students aged 13 to 18 and their parents are alerted to an exceptional summer opportunity, the Colorado Preserve America Youth Summit, which will get students into the field for hands-on experiences with history, archaeology and historic preservation. Young people who are selected for the Youth Summit are offered full scholarships for program costs, meals and lodging. They will also earn community service hours.

Youth Summits foster leadership by mentoring students so they can become engaged with their own local communities in historic preservation, cultural conservation and heritage tourism. Teachers receive classroom resources to tie the experience back to their own classrooms and communities.

Applications are online at http://coloradoyouthsummit.virb.com/youth-summit-application with the application deadline of May 1, 2013. Space is limited. This program is funded by History Colorado State Historic Fund, National Park Service, El Pomar and Black Hills Corporation. Canyons & Plains, a heritage tourism development organization, is a sponsor of the Colorado Preserve America Summit.

There are two summer field schools are being offered:Southern Rockies, A Crossroads of Cultures, June 18 - 21, 2013, will feature Pueblo Neighborhoods, Steelworks Industry and the Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark. Students will visit ethnic neighborhoods, explore the national significance of the Colorado steel and coal industries, and connect with the story of labor relations in the region. Students will tour historic buildings in Pueblo and suggest new ways to put historic buildings back into use.

Canyons & Plains, Vitalizing National Treasures, June 25 – 28, 2013, will feature the Santa Fe Trail; Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site; Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site; Camp Amache National Historic Landmark; and the Comanche National Grassland. Youth will experience the partnership between local communities and the National Park Service in revitalizing places of national importance. Challenges will include the preservation of historic landscapes, scarce water supplies and the preservation of traditional agricultural lifestyles. Canyons & Plains, the regional heritage task force, will host this Youth Summit.

-MORE-Formed in 2003, C&P serves seven counties—Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Prowers and eastern Las Animas. The nonprofit group promotes visitation to and stewardship of the unique historical, natural and cultural assets of southeastern Colorado among resident, state, national and international audiences. Since its formation, C&P has garnered over $1 million in funding for projects in the area.For more detailed information on this program visit http://coloradoyouthsummit.virb.com/youth-summit-application or contact Ann Pritzlaff at preserveamericayouthsummit@gmail.com.